Memorial Held to Bring Awareness for Missing Northland Woman Sheila St. Clair
DULUTH, Minn.– Five years ago, Sheila St. Clair went missing. She was last seen at the Cascade Apartments on West 3rd Street in Duluth. Community members and law enforcement are asking for information as the case stays open.
Members of the Duluth Area Northwoods Wolf Alliance, the Duluth Police Department and others met at Central Hillside Park in Duluth.
The groups have been doing this every year since St. Clair went missing to push for any new leads or information about the case and to keep St. Clair’s memory alive.
Members for other Indigenous organizations were also there, not only to help St. Clair but also shine a light on a bigger issue facing the indigenous community, a large amount of missing people believed to be crime victims
“I think now with so many different campaigns running and so many different warrior voices out there that a lot of people are starting to pay attention before when they were never paying attention,” said Jessica Smith, a Research Assistant at Sovereign Bodies Institute, a research organization focusing on violence against Indigenous people.According to the FBI, there are now 1,400 unsolved cases involving Native Americans across the country, 136 of those coming from Minnesota.
Duluth Police Chief Mike Tusken says they are following every lead they get. They are hoping new information will help find St. Clair and get closure for her family.
“We always think that there is somebody who knows something,” said Tusken. “That we’re one tip, we’re one clue away from having some information that will be actionable that will allow us to find Sheila and bring her home.”
Earlier this week, Congress passed “Savanna’s Act,” a bill that strengthens reporting on missing and murdered Native Americans, along with requiring the Department of Justice and the Department of the Interior to consult with Indian Tribes when working on law enforcement guidelines. The bill still needs to be signed into law by President Trump.
